Apparatus for releasing filaments sewn to a tape



Feb. 19, 1957 F. E. ANDERSON 2,781,572

APPARATUS FOR RELEASING FILAMENTS SEWN TO A TAPE f Filed Asug. 25, 1955 l INVENTOR FREDERICK EDWIN ANDERSON ATTORNEY 2,78 1,5 7.2 Fatented Feb. 19, 1957 Free APPARATUS FR RELEASHNG FILAMENTS SEWN T A TAPE Frederick E. Anderson, Elizabeth, W. Va., assigner to E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application August 23, 1955, Serial No. 530,020

2 Claims. (Cl. 28-17) This invention relates to a novel apparatus employed to release a continuous series of cut filaments or bristles sewn to a continuous tape.

In copending application Serial Number 530,019, filed by Frederick Edwin Anderson on August 23, 1955, there is described and claimed a novel package adapted to contain bristles, whether they are tapered or not. The present invention provides an apparatus by means of which a continuous belt of bristles sewn to a tape may be unwound from a spool or withdrawn from some other container, and the bristles may be separated from the tape to which they are stitched.

It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus for removing filaments from a tape to which those filaments have been sewn, and to remove those filaments in a continuous or intermittent fashion, whichever may be desired by the operator of this apparatus. Other objects may be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The above objects are accomplished by providing an unwind spindle upon which may be mounted a spool containing the belt of cut filaments or bristles sewn to a tape a plate containing a slot through which the sewn tape may pass, and a thin metal finger positioned in that slot so as to be placed between the tape and the filaments. As the tape is pulled through the slot, the fiat metal finger exerts a wedging action upon the bed of filaments, causing the individual stitches holding the filaments to the tape to be loosened, and thus freeing the filaments from the tape, and leaving the loosened stitches on the tape. The tape may be pulled through the machine manually o1' by an auxiliary mechanism, such as for example pinch rolls or a wind-up reel.

A more complete understanding of this invention may be had by reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of this invention. Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken at A--A of Figure 1.

By specific reference to Figure l, it may be seen that the apparatus of this invention comprises a base 9, to which is attached an arm 8 and a spindle 7, of such size that spool 6 may be placed upon spindle 7 and be able to rotate freely. "The belt of sewnfilaments generally indicated at 1 consists of a series of small bundles of filaments 2 bound to a tape 3 by two rows of single thread chain stitching 4. Belt 1 passes beneath face plate 10, in which is cut a slot 11. A thin flat finger 12 is inserted into slot 11 with the free end of finger 12 pointing towards spool 6. Slot 11 is substantially the Same length as the width of tape 3; thus, permitting tape 3 to pass through slot 11, While not permitting any individual filaments from bundles 2 to pass therethrough. Finger 12 is mounted in a cantilever fashion, with the tip of the finger (which is not shown in Figure 1) exerting a springlike action against the underneath side of tape 3.

The single thread chain stitching 4 has the characteristic of being capable of being unzippered by cutting the thread at any one point and pulling that thread loose. Thus, by cutting the thread at the free end of belt 1,

l inserting the free end under face plate such that finger 12 is placed between tape 3 and filaments 2, tape 3 may be separated as shown at 13 from the released filaments as shown at 14, tape 13 carrying the loosened stitches with it.

A more detailed view of the actual separation step may be seen by referring to Figure 2 where the belt comprising bundles 2, tape 3 and stitches 4 enter from the left underneath face plate 10. Finger 12, having a relatively sharp leading edge at 15, presses tape 3 upward against face plate 10 and thereby slides between filaments at 2 and tape 3 as the tape is moved from left to right. The operator, after cutting the stitching at the end of the belt of filaments, pulls outwardly on tape at 13, causing each successive bundle 2 topass under finger 12, which, in turn, forces the stitching holding that bundle to be loosened and to open up, thereby releasing the filaments so that they may fall free of the stitching as shown at 14.

It is to be understood that there are many embodiments of this invention which incorporate the use of finger 12 with slot 11 and face plate 10, and, therefore, any container which permits the introduction of a continuous belt of filaments to the separating action of finger 12 is intended to be covered by this invention. If the belt of filaments contains one or more than two rows of stitching, more than one finger 12 will be required. Containers other than the spool shown at 6 may be employed and various modifications of base 9 and arm 8 may be apparent to those skilled in the mechanical arts. Furthermore, several mechanisms of this sort may be used in conjunction for blending various lengths of filaments by releasing the desired amount of filaments from each of the several mechanisms, a different size of filament being released by each mechanism.

I claim:

l. An apparatus for separating small bundles of cut filaments from the tape onto which those filaments are sewn, the apparatus comprising a base, an unwind spindle capable of receiving a spool of tape sewn to a layer of filaments by means of two rows of single thread chain Stitching, a face plate containing a slot whose length is substantially the same as the width of said tape, and a thin flat finger attached to said face plate at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said slot and pointing in the direction towards which said tape enters said slot, said finger being narrower than the distance between said two rows of stitching.

2. An apparatus for continuously releasing small bundles of filaments sewn, in the form of a continuous layer, to a strip of paper by means of two parallel spaced rows of single thread chain stitching, said apparatus comprising a standard, a spool receiving spindle attached to said standard and positioned for unwinding said spool, a horizontal face plate pierced with a single slot through which said strip of paper may be threaded, a thin, fiat cantilever finger attached to said plate at the side of the slot away from said spindle and extending across the width of the slot, said finger being positioned substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the slot and midway between the ends of the slot, with the free end of the nger pointed towards said spindle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 

